SAMUEL ENI INTERVIEWS TAMMY RIVERA

Samuel Eni caught up with TV personality and ‘Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta’ star Tammy Rivera, the wife of rapper Waka Flocka Flame,. Tammy has definitely built a fan base in her own right as she focuses on her career.

How do you juggle being a wife, a mum and a businesswoman?

“It takes a lot of help from God, planning and organising things and sticking to a schedule. My daughter home schools, which makes things easier, and my mum helps me out a lot. I don’t where I would be without her.”

Clothing line T Rivera. When was that founded and how did you go about making it a business?

“I’ve been designing clothes since I was young; started working since the age of 14 because I needed to look fly. I would have a book full of sketches of different outfits. In school, they would call me ‘the Spice Girl and always comment on my clothes and ask where I get them.”

Tell me about your role in the stage play “ʻWhat God Joined Together’.

“Oh wow, what an experience. Now the role they gave me, I had to play a very ghetto ratchet sister of a doctor. My character was very out there and very loud, so something that wasn’t me. At first, I found it very difficult to channel my character and you could see it in my performance. I went outside and cried and I prayed to God for help, asking him for confidence, went back and I felt the change in me. Absolutely nailed it.”

What made you want to branch out into swimwear, what can we expect from the line?

“Never saw myself doing swimwear in the beginning, but now I felt it was time to branch out and experiment and that’s exactly what I did. Last year, I released 6 pieces and they literally just went off. There became more of a demand to get in more so this year I have 20 pieces. There’s a particular design called ʻthe scubaʼ; it’s a long sleeved swimsuit, perfect and it fits all sizes.”

You need to come to London, when can we expect you down here?

“Definitely looking to come to London soon. Waka and I were there a couple years back and the weather was so nice; we were walking around in London just enjoying the scenery. I love London and need to expand the business out there so there are definitely plans to come.”

Have there been any benefits to being on LHHATL?

“Yes, there have been! There has definitely been more opportunities arise since being on the show and I’ll definitely do more LHHATL in the future. I mean, Waka and I have been presented deals with other companies to have our own show, which is something we’re looking into but nothing concrete for now.”